John Sze

Practice Areas

> Shipping International Trade and Logistics

> Dispute Resolution

Career

John obtained his LLB from the National University of Singapore. As a scholar under the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore’s JMSS scholarship, John obtained an LLM in Maritime Law (Distinction) from the University of Southampton. John is presently the Managing Partner of JTJB. JTJB is also part of ADVOC, a global network of over 100 law firms across 73 countries. John co-heads the ADVOC’s Dispute Resolution Practice Group, and is a Senior Accredited Specialist in Maritime Law under the Singapore Academy of Law Accreditation Scheme.

He has acted as lead Counsel at all levels of the Singapore Courts, and has acted as lead Counsel in SIAC, SCMA, ICC, HKIAC, LMAA and GAFTA arbitrations. He has also provided expert evidence on Singapore Arbitration laws and Singapore Admiralty law as an expert witness in US Court proceedings.

John has also acted and advised creditors as well as distressed companies across the various forms of insolvency and restructuring mechanisms such as moratorium, liquidation, judicial management, schemes of arrangement and Chapter 11 filings. The cases that John has handled include companies involved in marine construction, trading, shipping and Oil & Gas sectors.

John’s other commercial work includes litigation and legal advisory work for Telcos, chemical, commodities and trading companies.

Professional Memberships

In addition to his professional practice and management role, John also is also involved in the following:

> On the panel of arbitrators for the Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration and Beihai Asia International Arbitration Centre.

> On the panel of adjudicators for the Singapore Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre Ltd (FIDReC).

> Member of the Board of Visitors (Drug Rehabilitation Centre & Anti-Inhalant Abuse Centre): The Board of Visitors (Drug Rehabilitation Centres and Anti-Inhalant Abuse Centres) (BOV DRCs & AIACs) is appointed by the Minister for Home Affairs to advise and make recommendations to ensure that the health, maintenance, recreation and discipline of DRC inmates are satisfactory and that an efficient standard is maintained throughout each DRC.

> Member of the Citizenship Committee of Inquiry: The Citizenship Committee of Inquiry is appointed by the Minister for Home Affairs and its role is to enquire into the cases of those persons who have been issued with the Notice of Deprivation of Citizenship and to submit its report to Minister for Home Affairs for a decision.

Publications

> Co-author for Atkins Singapore Court forms Maritime Chapter

Personal

John’s fundamental emphasis in his practice is to help clients identify and achieve practical and feasible solutions to legal issues. He strives to provide clear, frank, precise analysis, advise and execution of strategies to achieve desired outcomes. His litigation skills are honed through training and constant litigation work, and he never shirks from a dogfight when required.

Industry Sector Expertise

John’s practice since being called to the bar in 2004 has primarily been in commercial litigation, with a particular focus on shipping, international trade, and insolvency and restructuring litigation. He has appeared at all levels of the Singapore Courts, and represented clients as lead counsel in arbitration proceedings seated in Singapore, Hong Kong and London. John has worked on the entire spectrum of shipping disputes, including collisions, charterparty disputes, cargo claims, shipyard and repair disputes, shipboard incidents such as fire and personal injury. With the growth of technology usage in the trade finance and shipping industries, John has recently been actively advising the industry on the legal and regulatory issues arising from the industry’s adoption of technology in their trading, client management, operations and technical management functions.

Awards